


lightning, then the thunder

by coopbastian



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Cisco's POV, DCCW Rare Pair Swap, DCCW Rarepair Swap, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Making Out, Pining, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-21 00:26:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11346225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coopbastian/pseuds/coopbastian
Summary: Cisco takes Barry as his "boyfriend" to the family lake house. Messy feelings and a bit of bro shenanigans ensue.





	lightning, then the thunder

**Author's Note:**

  * For [darringtons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/darringtons/gifts).



> Surprise, [darringtonshorthalt](http://www.darringtonshorthalt.tumblr.com/) / [leviarty](http://archiveofourown.org/users/leviarty)! Here is your fic for the [DCCW Rarepair Swap](https://dccwrarepairswap.tumblr.com/) on tumblr. :) I was excited when I got you, since I've read Flashvibe fic from you before, so I wanted this to be as perfect as it can be! 
> 
> 1\. Let's pretend that Cisco's family is pretty decent. Still sort of strained with Cisco, but they're not absolutely terrible (looking at you, CW writers).  
> 1a. Dante and Barry totally would be bros.  
> 1b. Armando totally exists, and he is indeed included. I kinda winged it with him, personality-wise, so feel free to yell at me if he isn't up to your satisfaction.
> 
> 2\. There is implied sexual content, but no actual smut. I might just write a separate oneshot for that. ;) There is a descriptive make out scene, though. 
> 
> 3\. There are some scene jumps, but the cuts should make it clear. 
> 
> 4\. Title is taken from "[Thunder](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKopy74weus)" by Imagine Dragons. Lyrics have nothing to do with the plot, though. 
> 
> Anyway! Happy reading. :)

“If I had known your family’s  _ this  _ rich, I would’ve agreed to be your boyfriend a long time ago,” Barry laughs as he’s excitedly bouncing on the heels of his feet the second he gets out of the car.   
  
Cisco has to roll his eyes at his best friend, while he’s opening the trunk to get their luggage out. “Oh, I see. You want me for my money, not for my obvious good looks.” He says it in a playful voice, but Barry doesn’t laugh.    
  
“You’re very good-looking, Cisco,” Barry tells him, and it makes Cisco’s cheek suddenly heat up. “Besides, if we were actually dating, I’d choose you over money any day. Obviously.”    
  
Cisco doesn’t say anything. Instead, he smiles at his friend before he glances away to close the trunk of his car and locks it. The two of them grab their bags and head towards Cisco’s family lake house, which sits on a four-acre land of green grass and tall oak trees. The sky above them is cloudy and gray with the smell of rain surrounding them, thunder roaring softly in the distance, which has Barry even more eager. Cisco supposes that it’s the kind of weather that makes the Speed Force ignite in Barry more than usual.    
  
It’s been a few years since the last time Cisco has been here, and for the first time of these lake house visits, he’s anxious yet thrilled to have Barry with him, despite the unusual circumstance.    
  
***   
  
“Barry, I need you to hear me out and please don’t laugh at me till I’m done, alright?” Cisco said the week before as he stormed into the Cortex, getting weird looks from the members of Team Flash.    
  
Iris, Wally, Jesse, and Harry decided to make themselves busy, leaving Barry sitting alone with a nervous and rather panicked Cisco.    
  
“Yo, what is it, Cis?” Barry asked, looking at him with concern in his eyes.    
  
Cisco took a deep breath, tucking his hair behind his ear before he answered. “So, my brother is getting married--”    
  
“What, Dante’s getting  _ married? _ ” Barry cut in, surprised, but Cisco is already shaking his head.    
  
“No, no. My other brother, Armando,” he clarified, which of course made Barry looking more puzzled.   
  
“You have another brother? I didn’t know that.”    
  
Cisco sighed at this. “Yeah, he’s been traveling in Europe. I’ve been having so much issues with Dante before, but now that Armando’s back to get married, well…” He waved his hand vaguely, and Barry didn’t open his mouth to question it further.    
  
“Anyway…” Cisco continued. “We’re all having dinner together, right? Me, our Mami, Dante, Armando, and his soon-to-be wife--whom he met in Paris, by the way, long story--and Armando’s asking all about me. What I’ve been doing, where I’m living, that kind of stuff, right? Well his precious little French dove decided to ask the question I’m always completely dreading at every family thing: ‘ _ Are you seeing anyone, Cisquito? _ ’” he mocked in a high-pitched voice, which had Barry let out a snort.    
  
“So I panic, because that’s what I do. Pathetic, right?” Cisco released a groan. “Anyway. I tell her, ever so sweetly, that indeed I’m seeing someone. So Armando had the nerve to ask me, ‘ _ oh, when do we get to see this special someone that’s finally got my  _ hermano _ to settle down? _ ’ Like, dude. You’re here five minutes and you’re already gonna pick on me? Alright, fine. Whatever. I tell him that I’m bringing him to the wedding, then. He goes, ‘ _ I didn’t know you were out already. Good for you, Cisco. Why don’t you bring him to the lake house next weekend, so that we can meet him before the wedding? _ ’ Like…? What even is my life, Bar?”    
  
Barry chuckled a bit, before he saw the glare his friend was giving him. “To be fair, I didn’t even know you were bi either,” Barry offered, shrugging. It only earned him a playful punch in the shoulder.    
  
“Dude. Can you not see that my life is a mess?” Cisco ran his fingers through his hair, getting it out of his face as if it would help him think clearly. “What am I supposed to do?” he asked in a rather pouty voice.    
  
Barry rolled his chair closer to his best friend, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said, his voice soft. “Just tell them the truth, man.”    
  
Cisco only groaned at this. “I can’t do that,” he said. “This is the first time my family’s actually taking me seriously, and honestly? They’re really excited to meet this...imaginary someone. Crap, Barry, what am I gonna do?”   
  
Barry paused for what seemed like forever, the silence between them stretching for several minutes. Cisco felt the hand on his shoulder move to rest on top of his own shaky hands, which had him looking up and meeting with Barry’s eyes quite closely.    
  
“I can be your boyfriend,” Barry told him, his face serious, but his voice was still soft as ever and his thumb moving in circles on Cisco’s hand.    
  
“Wh-what? For real?” Cisco asked, his eyes almost widening at the mere offer.    
  
Barry smiled. “Yeah, man. I’ve been told I make one hell of a boyfriend,” he said, and it had Cisco laughing for the first time since this morning.    
  
“I don’t want to put you on the spot,” Cisco said, but Barry shook his head.    
  
“Dude, you’re my best friend,” Barry told him, “and with what you’ve been going through this year, I kinda owe you, anyway.”    
  
Cisco gave it to some thought. They had been very close friends since the minute Barry woke up from his coma three years ago, so how difficult could it be for them to pretend to be dating?    
  
***   
  
Well--as the two of them are now being greeted by the family at the front door of the lake house, seeing how well his family is already being charmed by Barry with his puppy eyes and sunshine of a smile, Cisco is beginning to realize that maybe...this is going to be harder than he originally thought.    
  
***   
  
“You really landed the lottery there,  _ hermano _ ,” Armando tells Cisco as they’re grabbing sodas and snacks from the kitchen. He has a smirk on his face while Cisco can feel his face heating up again.    
  
“I, uh, like to think so,” Cisco says, finding the bag of Red Vines he knows his mother gets him when they do the lake house trips. “Annette doesn’t seem too bad, either.”    
  
Armando chuckles before sipping from his Coke can. “Barry’s cute, polite, and seems to be taking good care of you. He’s basically the son Mami always wanted--you see how she’s already sharing her coconut pudding recipe with him?”    
  
Cisco is blushing hard now, a weird twist in his stomach. “Yep, that’s...that’s my Bar,” he says, taking a small bite of his candy. He’s always thought Barry to be good-looking, he isn’t blind or anything. But since they immediately went down the road of being friends, he never once considered Barry being a potential option to date. But now that he thinks about it, there’s always been... _ something _ .    
  
Armando claps him on the back, smiling softly. “Hey, let’s hope the next we’re all here again is because you two tie the knot. It’s been like, three years, right?”    
  
Cisco almost chokes on his Red Vine. “Uhm, y-yeah. Let’s hope,” he manages to say. “I mean--we haven’t talked about it yet, but…” He looks past the kitchen door into the dining room, where Barry is laughing at something Dante has said, getting a kiss on the cheek by their mother.    
  
Cisco finds himself smiling at the sight. “Barry sure does love to surprise me.”    
  
***   
  
Throughout the evening, Cisco is trying his best not to show that he’s battling with the conflicted feelings towards his best friend, even though he’s supposed to be lovey-dovey with him. Their hands graze lightly sometimes, their eyes meet with soft expressions and chuckles, their knees are touching.    
  
  
They’re playing some card games by the fireplace, swapping stories till Dante is the first one to retreat to his bedroom. However, he doesn’t leave without telling Cisco to “get some,” which gets a couple of snickers from Armando and his fiancée, and a blushing red face from Barry.   
  
“What did he mean by that?” Barry whispers over to Cisco.    
  
“You knew what he meant, dude,” Cisco says, although he doesn’t even want to think about it. He sees that it’s making Barry so nervous that his hands are shaking.    
  
“Ow!” Barry hisses, dropping the cards to cradle his right index finger, a small slit on the side starting to bleed.    
  
“Jeez, how clumsy are you?” Cisco says, making his older brother laugh.    
  
“Ah, s-sorry.” Barry’s face is as red as a tomato, so Cisco decides to save him by taking him to one of the guest bathrooms for a first aid kit.    
  
Barry rinses his finger in the sink before Cisco is applying ointment to the cut. “Sorry,” Barry is saying again, and Cisco lets out a soft laugh.   
  
“Don’t apologize--not like you gave yourself a papercut on purpose,” Cisco tells him, digging into the kit to find a small band-aid. “Besides, this finally gives me the opportunity to ask how you’re holding up.”    
  
Barry looks up at him, a soft expression on his face. “I think I’m doing alright,” he says with a smile.    
  
“Really? I mean, I know my family can be a bit...much. Especially Dante.” Cisco rolls his eyes, but with a fond grin. He’s seen the way his brother and Barry have been getting along.    
  
“Dante’s awesome, dude,” Barry tells him. “So is Armando, and his fiancée. Oh, and I hate to brag, but I’m pretty sure your mom  _ adores  _ me.”    
  
Cisco’s stomach does that weird twist again, but he ignores it. “They all adore you, actually. It’s pretty hard not to have a soft spot for Barry Allen.”    
  
Barry flashes a rather toothy smile at him before he’s watching his friend wrap the band-aid around his finger. “Being your boyfriend is pretty great,” he says quietly, and it has Cisco freezing his movements for a moment.   
  
“Yeah…” he manages to say. “It’s not so bad.”    
  
The two of them fall into a silence, their bodies so close together that Barry is towering over him, and if he tries he can just plop his chin right on top of CIsco’s head. Cisco is wondering if his best friend can hear how hard his heart is beating while he’s still holding onto Barry’s hand.    
  
“Uhm.” Barry clears his throat, but he doesn’t move away. “Your family’s probably expecting us to look...uhm…” His cheeks are turning red once more, but his eyes never leave Cisco’s. “We should probably kiss so that they’re not suspicious,” he says so quickly that it takes a minute for Cisco to actually process what he’s saying.    
  
“Oh!” Cisco exclaims, heat rising into his neck and cheeks. He actually hasn’t thought about needing to kiss his pretend boyfriend at all, but it makes sense when Barry continues speaking.   
  
“I mean--like, ravished, y’know? Maybe a hickey or two? We’re alone in this bathroom and, uhm, the most scandalized thing we’ve done this whole evening is hold hands. Wouldn’t you think something’s up if a couple hasn’t kissed in front of family and stuff?”    
  
“I...guess?” Cisco shrugs his shoulders, but he’s starting to feel nervous about the prospect of kissing Barry--his best friend, not his totally fake boyfriend that he may or may not have a crush on. “When you put it like that, though...” Pausing, he makes a serious, determined face. “Alright, let’s do it.”    
  
Barry’s eyes widen a bit, as if he’s surprised by Cisco’s answer. “Oh, okay!” He winces when he realizes that he’s just a tad bit loud, but he shares a smile with Cisco. “Cool. Yeah. Let’s make out. It’s 2017, bros make out with their bros all the time. No biggie.”   
  
Chuckling softly, Cisco takes his friend’s hands into his, lacing their fingers together. “If you keep talking like that, Bar, there will be no bros making out with their bros tonight.”    
  
“Hey, but we have to,” Barry pouts, putting on his best puppy dog face while his thumb moving in small circles on Cisco’s hand. There’s no way that Cisco can ever,  _ ever  _ say no to that face, no matter what.   
  
So he rolls his eyes, but with a fond smile before he’s beginning to lean in close. “If you say so, speedster,” he says, nearly whispering, and he swears that he hears Barry releasing the tiniest of whimpers.    
  
Barry leans in the rest of the way, finally closing the distance between them. Their lips gently meet, and their eyes flutter shut as Cisco sighs and melts into the kiss. They’re hesitant with their hands still clasped together, mostly because Cisco is actually kissing his  _ best friend  _ and--oh god, his best friend smells so nice and his lips are incredibly soft and how come they haven’t done this sooner.    
  
Eventually Barry is letting go of his hands and Cisco almost whimpers from the loss of warmth, but he stops himself when he feels one of Barry’s hands cupping his cheek and the other raking through his hair. Cisco tilts his head up so that they’re kissing deeper, moaning from the way Barry is holding onto his hair. Cisco moves one of his hands to grip onto Barry’s waist to press their bodies closer together, and the other is holding onto Barry’s bicep.   
  
Cisco doesn’t want to stop, even when his lungs are burning from needing some air, so he’s absolutely breathless when Barry does break the kiss only to move his lips down to Cisco’s neck. Barry starts peppering small kisses and nips onto Cisco’s skin, his hand slightly tugging at Cisco’s hair to make his head tilt even further so that his neck is completely exposed.    
  
Every touch is making Cisco insane as he’s breathing heavily and a couple of moans escape from his parted lips, thoughts racing through his head about how everything about this could go totally wrong. But as Barry continues his movements, a part of Cisco is telling him that maybe there’s more to this than his best friend is leading on, another part of him telling him to shut up and enjoy this.     
  
“Oh god, Barry…” he groans, fingernails digging into Barry’s biceps, which are pretty damn nice, he has to admit. They’re firm and big and he’s pretty sure Barry can hold him up against the wall with these arms.    
  
Barry grunts, and Cisco can feel him smirking against his skin before there’s another bite that’s harder this time on a tender spot in between his neck and collarbone, a spot that makes Cisco moan louder and squirm underneath him.    
  
It feels as if Barry has been working on his neck for hours, his knees are starting to buckle and his breathing is heavy, but he still holds onto Barry for dear life, to keep himself grounded.    
  
“Cisco,” Barry gasps, pulling himself away, but Cisco chases after him without thinking twice about it, and he gives him a searing kiss before they make themselves actually pull away from each other.   
  
They stare at one another with gentle smiles on their faces, their foreheads pressing together as they try to catch up with their breathing. The moment is nice and warm and pleasant, it’s making Cisco’s heart soar with butterflies fluttering around in his stomach.   
  
“Well--that happened,” Barry says, after several minutes of just drinking each other’s presence.    
  
Cisco laughs, realizing that his voice is rather hoarse. “Yeah, it did. Maybe we should, uhm, say goodnight to everyone and get some...sleep.” He arches an eyebrow, hoping that his tone of voice comes off as suggestive.    
  
It takes Barry a second, but he eagerly nods his head. “Yes, please! I mean. Yeah, sure. It’s cool, yo.”    
  
Chuckling again, Cisco takes Barry’s hand in his, leading them out of the bathroom and back into the living room.   
  
Armando and Dante, still playing cards by the fire, give the two knowing smirks when they come back into the living room to say goodnight.    
  
Dante gives Barry a pat on the back. “Treat my brother right, my man,” he tells him, making Barry red in the ears and cheeks.    
  
“Dante!” Cisco reprimands, but his brother only winks at the both of them.    
  
Barry is gripping tightly onto Cisco’s hand. “I had fun, guys,” he tells them. “This...this was great.” He gets a forehead kiss from Annette and a warm hug from Armando before they turn to Cisco, who tries to protest the hug from his older brother and he gets a noogie instead.   
  
***   
  
They head up the stairs and down the hall where Cisco’s bedroom is--the room he hasn’t stepped into for several years. Barry seems to take his time looking at all of the movie posters and action figures, a small smile on his face, and Cisco can’t stop himself from smiling as well.    
  
“So, Allen,” Cisco starts to say, going over to his bed and taking a seat on the edge of it. “Are you gonna kiss me, or what?”    
  
Barry turns around, staring at him. “I-I…” he stumbles, blushing again, but he steps closer to Cisco to reach out to cup his face. “Are...are you sure you want this?” he asks. “Because, like, I’ve been wanting this for a long time now. Actually, for about two years. It just sort of clicked for me, y’know? Iris mentions how close we are one day, and then I can’t stop thinking about it. I like you, Cisco. I like you so much, but god, I don’t wanna mess this up because we’re best friends, so. Do...do you want this?”    
  
Cisco pauses for a moment, his brown eyes looking right into Barry’s green ones while he takes in his words. Is this really happening? No way. He has to be dreaming...right? His heart is hammering in his chest, and he rests his hand on top of Barry’s. “I...Barry, you’ve no idea how much I’ve been wanting this,” he finds himself admitting. “I just--I didn’t think you would ever feel that way, considering us being friends and all. But I honestly, truly like you, too.” He takes a deep breath. “I want this to be real. I want this more than anything, Bar.”    
  
That gives Barry all of the motivation to lean in, kissing Cisco deeply and slowly and passionately. Thunder and lightning suddenly strike outside, and it begins to rain heavily as they fall into bed together in a tangle of limbs, softly calling each other’s names in between kisses.    
  
***   
  
The next morning when Barry and Cisco arrive in the dining room for breakfast, they’re greeted by wolf calls and whistles from Cisco’s family. Cisco is groaning and hiding his face into his face while Barry is blushing a dark and he tries not to trip over himself.    
  
Although, it’s the moment that Cisco realizes that he and Barry have always been more than just friends. It’ll take time to get used to, but he knows that he and Barry can do anything as long as they’re together.   
  
Barry is the lighting. Cisco is his thunder.


End file.
